A Providential View of Judith Anonymous College

Throughout the Old English poem Judith, the poet goes to great lengths to paint a clear and decided picture of providential history. A providential view of history leaves no doubt that God is involved and that He clearly favors one side over the other. In Judith, it is exceedingly evident that God has taken an interest in the conflict at hand, and that He is personally invested in Judith’s cause: granting her the wisdom to craft a successful plan by lending her the strength to carry it out, and by bestowing His blessing on her people during battle.

The poem, as it exists today, opens praising God as the “renowned Ruler,” who has “bestowed an astounding gift” upon Judith who was in dire need of His divine intervention (4,6). The wicked Holofernes orders that Judith be brought to his tent in the middle of the night. Knowing that Holofernes planned to “ravish” her, “the brilliant lady” anticipated his seduction and planned to capitalize on his weakened state by decapitating him. The poet explains that Judith’s actions are not simply sanctioned by the Lord, but he suggests that she is doing the Lord’s bidding, acting as “the Savior’s handmaiden” and as “Heaven’s Defender” (75, 81). By bestowing these seraphic titles upon Judith,...